Marvel Teases the Death of Wolverine

"We're not messing around" says editor Mike Marts about the upcoming storyline "3 Months to Die," while editor-in-chief Axel Alonso says the effects of the story "are line-wide."

He's been fighting the good fight since his first appearance four decades ago, but Marvel Entertainment is teasing that Wolverine's final days are upon him with the announcement of a new storyline entitled "3 Months to Die."

The publisher has been teasing the potential death of the fan-favorite character for some time, starting with a storyline in the Wolverine series last year that stripped the character of his enhanced healing abilities. This new plot, which will run from Wolverine #8 through #12, hints that things are going to get a lot worse for the X-Man before they get better.

"We're not messing around with the title," Wolverine editor Mike Martstold Comic Book Resources. "We are going to fully explore Wolverine's mortality -- what that means to him, what that means to the X-Men, what it means to the Marvel Universe. And we're not going to be shy."

If the character does die, it won't be the first time. Alternate versions of Wolverine have died in series such as X-Men Forever and Ultimatum, and even the "regular" version of the character has had temporary deaths in the past. This time around, however, Marvel is portraying the potential as a very big deal.

"The effects are line-wide," promised Marvel editor-in-chief Axel Alonso. "I'm actually a bit surprised that my publisher allowed us to do this."

Wolverine #8, the first chapter of "3 Months to Die," will be released in comic book stores and digitally in June.